The Grey Ghost

[GHSTII]

Just participated in the car's first Time Attack event. It was a bit of a scramble, but we made it. The goal was to not blow up the car, assess what needed to be prioritized to make it better, and maybe actually try and compete while at it.

A friend from my hometown drove a few hundred miles to help me prep and be my pit crew. He helped me install a custom baffled oil pan welded by fellow DSM'er @biglady112 (also a few hundred miles away), and we did our best to have the car ready for its first real stress test.

Come Race Day, I actually felt pretty decent about it. There's so much I wish could have been done first, but there came a moment I realized I could end up waiting forever while not even prioritizing what the car actually needed. With a "minimum viable product," it should at least be able to make it to the event and back, right?

I haven't gotten to wrap or paint it all one color yet. The engine bay could be more organized, and certain things could probably be dialed in better. We didn't even get a chance to wash it before the event. Still, considering it seemed safe enough, I decided I wanted to drive it on a road course like I set out to in the first place when I bought it. I was fully prepared to have it returning home on the back of a trailer.

However, that wouldn't be necessary.

The car ran a bit hot, but it never overheated. The coilovers planted it very well on the asphalt, and I was very cozy in the compact cockpit of the Eclipse.

During the first real session, the FuelTech's safety features we configured saved my motor by shutting off the engine when my oil pressure dipped too low in the corners a couple times. Before the next run, we put in an extra half-quart, and the problem didn't persist. The custom pan did its job well. With solid oil pressure, I realized the car would let me push it. I was using a more conservative tune so as not to have to worry about blowing off intercooler piping in the middle of a session. That said, I was hearing a weird noise and decided not to try my luck.

It turned out to be nothing catastrophic, but we decided to hang it up for the weekend. We didn't have what we'd need to keep going, and what we learned could surely be applied to have even more fun at the next event.

Overall, it was a great time, and I'm even more stoked to do it again! Massive thanks to everyone who helped make it happen, especially @biglady112 with all his help getting me familiar with FuelTech and that custom oil pan.

The Grey Ghost lives!

 

[GHSTII]

Been chasing a ”dragging” noise coming from behind me, most noticeable on decel. I had replaced the stock carrier bearings with JXB bearings, which I liked a lot. However, I suspected bad U-joints, and I found a shop who offered to fabricate a custom driveshaft rather than modifying my stock one. It’s a 3.5 inch full aluminum piece. No carrier bearings, which I’m aware of the concerns about, but they were pretty adamant that it balanced well on the machine, and that they would be surprised themselves if there were any issues. It fit perfectly… after I removed the exhaust system.

Fortunately, I was already planning to go side-exit. The package came in just in time from ccdesignfab, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Very impressive work. Mated right up to my JMF O2 housing with the external dump, no clearance issues. I like the angle it comes out the bumper. I wrapped it with heat wrap I’ve been holding onto for the past couple years, and now my Wideband O2 sensor is also much closer to the manifold than it was before. It’s not much louder than the Megan Racing exhaust I had on before, which I’m now looking to get rid of.

I also eliminated the stock power steering pump. It was leaky and useless. Running manual steering for a bit just to feel what it’s like, though I intend to install the Volvo EPS. Switched from BR7ES to BR8ES spark plugs.

Took it for a test drive down the street. Realized the “dragging” noise is more pronounced now. I don’t think the driveshaft is to blame—there’s no play in it. I’m very content with the new exhaust setup though. Highly suspicious of my rear diff, but the fluid was clear. Maybe I’m just paranoid But the noise does seem excessive to me. Gonna do more testing.

 

[Pjj]

Make sure both your rear axles are completely flush in the rear diff. also inspect all 3 of your rear diff bushings. id recommend starting there

 

[GHSTII]

Thanks! I raised the car and put some load on it. The engine was literally bouncing. Looks like my stock motor mounts are dooone. I've been reluctant about it, but after what I saw, it's looking like a necessity to switch to solid mounts. I didn't expect the stock mounts to hold up for long, but it's really bad, and I'm pretty sure I'm just feeling the consequences of it in the rear.

 

[Pjj]

install the prothane mounts that go into the stock mounts. a few people i know whos gone to torque solutions cracked their bell housings

 

[GHSTII]

Yikes--I already ordered Torque Solutions... However, I'm considering installing just the front and rear mounts and using something softer on the sides. Maybe that will help? I've seen some people mention window-weld, others prothane.

 

[Pjj]

its the rollers that are the problem ones

 

[GHSTII]

Of course they are

How much power are they pushing?

 

[Pjj]

Of course they are

How much power are they pushing?

cant remember, i do believe its the torque/ boost hit/ shifting that makes them crack, especially if youre going through the gears a lot. i personally am running the prothane on stock mounts on my car, its a 10second street car

 

[GHSTII]

I'm not pushing too much power, and my boost comes in pretty late. Maybe I can get away with it

 

[Pjj]

the late boost is what causes the motor to hit hard and shift, thats what would cause it. you can run them but just remember this convo aha

 

[GHSTII]

So, shocker: one piece bad driveshaft = bad idea No cope here, just found out the hard way it was a waste of time and money. I ended up seeking out and putting back on a stock driveshaft. I don’t think it’s the source of the noise in my drivetrain anyway.

Installed all four Torque Solutions mounts. The old mounts actually didn’t seem to be bad at all, they just weren’t holding the motor still. The whole vessel vibrates a bit at idle and shakes some when starting momentum in first gear, but it does seem to shift smoother when in motion. Didn’t do much to help with the excessive feedback in my driveline, but whatever.

Drove a couple hours to meet up with my friend Layne to paint my bumper and lip. He walked me through the prep, then he did a pretty good job at a pretty close paint match. Massive thanks to him. It got me excited about taking pictures of it again.

There’s a track event coming up I’d like to participate in. Don’t know whether I’ll actually get to do it, but I may try for it. Meanwhile, gonna be scanning the forums for peoples’ mid-plate/chain/engine brace solutions.

 

[GHSTII]

The car performed in every session at SCCA Track Night at NCM. However, not without a little bit of chaos.

Session 1:

While booking it down the back straight a couple laps in, the car fell out of balance. I lost control and couldn’t get it back. I recently deleted my stock power steering pump, as it was leaking and hardly working anyway. I already have a Volvo EPS to install, but I figured I’d try out manual steering in this event first.

I THINK power steering could have saved me the wipeout, but fortunately I just slid into the grass and didn’t hit anything or anyone. Just cracked the bumper lip. I was able to jump right back onto the track. At first it seemed like everything was fine, and I was watching the flag towers, so I skipped pit road and jumped right back into it. But then I got black-flagged, which sent me into a panic. Worst feeling ever in the moment.

I pulled off and found an official. I was afraid I was about to get yelled at, but then I learned it was just that my bumper had become unfastened. Relieved, but still shaken up, I scrambled to retrofit the bumper since I lost the fasteners and didn’t bring spares. I was ready just in time for Round 2.

Session 2:

I was still shaken up from the first session, but got in the zone for the second run. I decided to hold back a bit, but the temps were running a little hot. That was to be expected, so I wasn’t too worried. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize I was running a map with a lower temp ceiling for engine shutoff than I intended. Right after I passed Pit Lane, the ECU shut off the car. I scrambled to find the setting on the unit, as usually I’d adjust it from my laptop. It killed the session for everyone, and an emergency vehicle was sent to retrieve me. However, I got it figured out, and I was able to get off the track without being towed.

While reviewing the data on the paddock, I was approached by an official who was pretty nice. He checked if I was okay, and asked me a couple questions about my runs. He then told me it was reported that I spun out a second time (I think they confused me for someone else), and they were concerned about everyone else losing time. I explained that I was just having overheating issues and a rough day. I asked if I should have done anything differently, which he reassured I did fine, but did warn that I was being watched now.

I debated packing it up early, but decided to think on it for a bit. I’m not sure when I’m going to get the opportunity to hit the track again, but at the same time I was still shaken up from the first session and didn’t think I could handle the humiliation of another incident.

At last minute, right when the last session of the evening was about to begin, I started the car. I intended to leave, but something prompted me to try and put in at least one more lap before heading home. I found myself on the starting grid, and was immediately sweating it.

Session 3:

I didn’t drive as fast or as hard as I could, but I managed to finally calm my nerves. The car performed phenomenally, and without incident. I did a solid few laps, then retired via Pit Lane before the coolant temps rose too high. I’m really glad I did it, ‘cause at this point I realized I may have had a problem getting back out there if I had just left before.

Anyway, grateful that SCCA makes it possible to get out there, and I really appreciated that I got to participate in the event. Sometimes I forget to talk to people, which always reminds me that it’s one of the best parts of this whole hobby. I met a guy who drives a pretty nice Stingray, who happened to be behind me when my first mishap occurred. Catching up with him at the end of the day immediately made me feel better.

I would love to get to do at least one more event before the end of the year.

 

[GHSTII]

Decided to give in and commit to installing the Kiggly Racing 12-1 Tooth Trigger Wheel.

I was initially terrified, ‘cause it involves disassembling the timing side of the motor, which was a hard “no thanks” when I was rewiring the engine harness for the first time with a fresh motor that came back already timed before it was put back in the car. I was terrified to mess it up and lose the engine.

The 24 tooth trigger wheel in the CAS did the job for several events this year, but it didn’t perform perfectly. I finally worked up the courage to take the plunge.

I collected the parts I needed, read the VFAQ for the timing belt and watched a few YouTube videos to get an idea of what I was facing. I was pleasantly surprised to discover my balance shafts were already deleted.

I switched back to the stock trigger wheel in the CAS, and blocked off the larger tooth hole with aluminum tape.

Ran into a couple complications, but @biglady112, @jdxnc and FuelTech Support got me through. Car runs better than ever now. Got it mostly dialed in again.
I’ve still got to smooth out some of the edges, but I’m glad I did it.

Hilariously enough, on my last drive, something electrical went out and it seems my accessory mode is disabled. The car doesn’t beep when I turn on the ignition, the power windows don’t work, etc. I switched the Main Fuse and Alternator Fuse, but neither were the problem. This is exactly why I switched to FuelTech—whatever the problem is, it’s isolated from the engine management system, and I can still drive it if I want Definitely gonna figure out what the problem is though. Then I’m going to stop lygagging and install this Volvo power steering pump already.

 

[Black95TSIawd]

Haven't been on Tuners in a long while, but so glad to see more people road racing or autocrossing DSM's. Nice build and good luck with it!

 

[GHSTII]

Haven't been on Tuners in a long while, but so glad to see more people road racing or autocrossing DSM's. Nice build and good luck with it!

Thanks! It is cool seeing more people stepping up to the challenge

 

[biglady112]

Jeremiah is slowly becoming a race car. 2025 will hopefully be a fun year.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Looks amazing

 

[GHSTII]

Unfortunately a couple months ago, I went out on a little test drive one day and ended up shorting out my engine harness. It's never fun having to get a tow, but fortunately it didn't happen far from home and wasn’t too bad, and I got a chance to redo the wiring more properly.

I made a few notable changes to the engine bay. I added a Low Dollar Motorsports pressure sensor at the fuel pressure regulator so I could log that data. I got my hands on some rubber gaskets for the throttle body. I decided to try adding back the Honda idle air control valve, just to experiment with it. I got a CAS adapter harness as to not have to directly splice the crank sensor connector into the FuelTech Universal Harness. I also took the opportunity to swap out a couple of my smart coils as well that were presumably damaged due to rubbing against the heat shield before I took it off the hood.

Last time around, I also deleted the fuses that come attached to the harness because I was determined to have the PDM power everything in the engine bay. That ended up being redundant, and probably why the Main Switch wire ultimately shorted out. It’s much simpler to just trigger the switch power wires on the Universal Harness that activate the stock relays automatically, so that’s what I did this time around.

I also drilled holes for the 0 gauge wires going through the firewall all the way to the battery in my trunk, and fit them with grommets. This allowed the grommet on the engine harness to sit more flush in the firewall as well.

It was nice feeling more confident this time around, and it turned out pretty good. More exciting updates to come very soon.

 

[92AWDHX40]

I like it man fuel tech is nice, im looking for possible tuning as the year goes on, i still have a lot to do for the 2025 year.

 

[GHSTII]

I like it man fuel tech is nice, im looking for possible tuning as the year goes on, i still have a lot to do for the 2025 year.

I’m loving the FuelTech! It’s helped open up some doors for creativity that I’ve been exploring with some help from @biglady112. By the 2025 season, I’ll hopefully be able to push the envelope a bit and focus on seat time on the road course.

 

[GHSTII]

Alright… been nervous to share this one, as it may be a controversial modification, but it was a fun one.

I deleted the intercooler, and I had a couple injector holders welded to the intake pipe. The FuelTech Universal B harness comes with extra outputs for secondary injectors, allowing a sort of plug and play deal, in my case for ethanol injection.

I hadn’t heard of this before, and was very skeptical about it at first, but I honestly love experimenting, so I was down. Water/methanol injection would probably be a viable alternative, but I already had a couple spare injectors from having to replace them in the past, and water/meth would involve adding another separate system to the setup. Unfortunately I can’t weld (yet), and the welding job I paid for wasn’t that great. Luckily, a friend of mine had me ship the piece to him. He got it cleaned up, then shipped it back to me. I expanded the fuel system with a T-fitting going off the FPR and splitting off into a couple extra AN lines.

I got everything put together, and I rigged the secondary injectors to start spraying when the car hits boost. It was a little weird tweaking two fuel maps to complement one another, but pretty cool. Still experimenting a bit with it, but so far so good. Still much more to update on.

 

[GHSTII]

I finally did the thing.

Since my incident at the previous track event (where I lost control and couldn’t pull it back), I was spooked and this was highest on my priority list before getting back out there.

I’ve seen a few guys running the Volvo Electric Steering Pump who are very satisfied with it, and you can add me to that list now. I had it sitting in my garage for a few months because I couldn’t figure out where to mount it. I considered the stock location, but I still have some stuff in the way I’m not prepared to delete yet. I thought about the side mount Intercooler location, but that would require a custom bracket, and I can’t weld.

I liked the Tunes + Tunes solution of putting it on the spare tire mount, but I don’t have one of those, and couldn’t find one. Then I realized I could use long lugs with washers and nuts to easily suspend it over the rear cross-member. I matched the threads of the isolators on the pump and screwed straight into it. It ain’t going anywhere.

For the plumbing, I wasn’t thinking at first and used push-lock fittings at the rack (I know, like a dim-wit.) After that backfired, I put a CPE fitting on the return line at the rack, and I used 90 degree AN fittings connected to a pre-built nitrous line for the pressure side.

For the wiring, I used an 80 amp breaker switch between the pump and the battery. I supplied switch power from my PDM, which is now rigged to trigger it when the fuel pump is running for longer than 3 seconds. I mounted the CAN feedback controller to my center console, but I must’ve wired it improperly, ‘cause I couldn’t get it working. I’ll fix it later

My other major mistake was accidentally running the lines to the wrong ports at the rack.

Pressure Side: M14 x 1.5

Return Side: M16 x 1.5

I accidentally got them flipped, and that made for an interesting troubleshooting situation. Check out the video to see what that looks like. Anyway, I also had to adapt the pump’s pressure side fitting.

Pump Pressure Side Fitting: M16 x 1.5

After solving the leaks and fixing the mistakes I made, it functioned flawlessly. No complaints. I know it’s super convenient to be able to control the feedback with the CAN controller, so I will get that working. I was on a time crunch though, and the pump got me through the upcoming events as is. I’ll share how those went very soon.

 

[GHSTII]

The car did well at NCM for the last HPDE event of the year.

It felt way more dialed than before. No crank trigger errors now that I’m on the Kiggly 12-1. No more wrestling my steering wheel now that the Volvo EPS is installed. Weak points are the brakes, suspension, and cooling. I could definitely use more stopping power, some negative camber, and something more efficient than a street radiator.

Nonetheless, it felt good to be on the track again. No spectacular lap times, but they were much faster out the gate than at any point in the past. This entire year has pretty much been dedicated to testing the car, and hopefully next year I’ll improve more as a driver.

Unfortunately, I was pushing quite a bit of coolant by the third hot session, so I decided to hang it up a little earlier than I would have preferred. That doesn’t take away from how well the day went considering what I was hoping to accomplish. It’s got its weak points, but we’ve made leaps and bounds in contrast to the few years there was next to no movement on the project at all.

Still got more fun stuff to update on.

 

[GHSTII]

Wanted to get in a little more hard driving before the off-season, but without putting excessive road course stress on the car. I found out there was an autocross event coming up at Nashville Superspeedway, so I went!

Unfortunately, my wideband went out just a few miles out from the site. Turns out, the wires somehow made their way too close to the CV axle and it shred right through them. I was able to “fix” it on the fly with butt-connectors from the parts store, but not without missing the chance to actually drive it.

Still, I had a blast. Met some great people, and it’s no shock that SCCA hosts a great program. Though I missed the chance to drive the first day, they allowed me to come back the next day to make up for it.

Of course, that wouldn’t be without incident either. I was fighting fuel pressure issues, and couldn’t figure out why in such a fast-paced environment. I did manage to get in a few sessions before my fuel pump just stopped responding altogether. The whole thing was chaotic, and kind of hilarious